Dreamfall Chapters footage gives you thirty minutes of hard time

I've never been one for the "adventure games are dead" argument, meaning I'm not entirely convinced that they're now being resurrected. That said: blimey, there sure are a lot of them on the way . Thanks to Kickstarter and the gentle milking of nostalgia glands, we're not only getting new adventures from Double Fine and Revolution, but also the creators of The Longest Journey. Red Thread's Dreamfall Chapters is still in pre-alpha stage, meaning backers will have to use Other Game on PC for a while longer. To ease the wait, though, here's a half-hour walkthrough of the game's Friar's Keep prison escape.

Two versions are available. The first with commentary:

The second, with Yakety Sax without commentary:

With the pre-alpha disclaimer in mind, this seems like a promising look at the game. For one thing, it's a welcome change to see characters that expand on their dialogue options choices before you've made them. Even games that handle dialogue wheels well - Mass Effect being the best example - can occasionally break the tie between what you thought a character would say and what they actually did.

Mostly though, I'm just looking forward to revisiting the series' world and characters. I loved The Longest Journey, even if I played it at a time when I was far more forgiving of nonsensical duck puzzles and pixel hunting. And while the follow-up Dreamfall had capital-P Problems, it was still a moving story to experience. Here's hoping that Red Thread can capture that same spirit, whatever the updates and innovations that come with this new game.